Fence-wire tightener



HENRY W. NORTON, OF HUDSON, MICHIGAN.

FENCE-WIRE TIGHTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 532,811 dated anuary 22, 1895.

Application filed April 12, 1894. Serial No. 507,298. (No model) To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY W. NORTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hudson, in the county of Lenawee and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fence-VVire Tighten ers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements, as hereinafter set forth, in fence-wire tighteners.

In the drawings, Figure 1, represents a portion of a wire fence having my improved tightener in position. detail view, on a larger scale, of oneof the tighteners with yoke and sleeve in position. Fig. 3 represents an enlarged detail view of the sleeve.

The object of this invention is to produce a wire-tightener for wire-fences by means of which either or all of the wires may be instantly tightened at any time desired. To this end, to each strand of wire is permanently attached, at either or both ends, and to the end post or posts one of my improved tighteners as will presently more fully appear.

1 represents the end posts; 2, the fence wires, and 3 the stays or pickets. It is preferred that the stays or pickets, 3, shall have on opposite sides a series of angular notches, 4, Within which the wires, 2, rest as thereby firm gripping seating is afforded the wires and a degree of frictional grip is afforded the same which materially assists in maintaining the wires at tension and lessens their liability to sag.

5 represents a series of yokes of wire or other suitable material equal in number to the number of strands of wire in the fence. These yokes pass around the end post or posts, 1, being, preferably, seated in grooves or notches, 6, therein and have at their ends, eyes, or loops, 7.

These tighteners each consist of a small metal roller, 9, having at one end a square head, 10, to receive a wrench or crank (not shown) bywhich said roller may be rotated to coil the slack of the wire around said roller.

Fig. 2 represents a Adjacent to the other end is a circumferential groove, 11, within which the loop or eye, 7, on one end of theyoke, 5, is loosely seated; and extending transversely through said roller, 9, are one or more slots or holes, 12, through one of which the end of the fence wire is passed and within which it is permanently retained.

13 represents a sleeve loosely mounted on said roller, 9, and having extended flanges, 14, within a hole or slot, 15, in which is secured the other eyed or looped end, 7, of the yoke, 5. By thus loosely seating one eyed or looped end of the yoke, 5, in the grooved end of said roller, 9, and attaching the other eyed or looped end of said yoke to the flanges of said loosely-mounted sleeve, 13, it will be manifest that, on the application of a wrench, crank or other suitable device to its square head said roller can be freely turned when desired in its bearings on the yoke, 5, and sleeve, 13, respectively, thereby coiling round said roller the slack of the fence-wire attached thereto. When the slack has been taken up and the fence-wire tightened, a pin or other suitable device is engaged with a hole or slot, 16, extending transversely through the sleeve, 13, and through the roller, 9, at a point under the slot or hole, 16, so as to lock said sleeve and roller together and thereby prevent the uncoiling of the wire coiled around said roller, thus maintaining the wire taut. Each fence-wire is provided, at either one or both ends as desired, with one of said rollers, 9, sleeves, 13, and yokes, 5, which are, as above stated, there located permanently. By this arrangement it will be manifest that either or all of the wires of a fence can be very readily, expeditiously and instantly tightened and secured in taut condition at any time desired by unskilled labor. 7

What I claim is- A fence-wire tightener, consisting of a yoke connected with the fence-post and having eyed ends, a roller having loose bearing at one end in one of the eyedends of said yoke and having at its. other end a square head said roller also having transverse slots or holes to receive respectively the end of the fence-wire and alocking pin, a sleeve loosely 10c mounted on said roller and having trans In testimony whereof I afiix my signature versely-slotted longitudinal flanges to receive in presence of two witnesses. the other eyed end of sand yoke and a trans- HENRY NORTON verse slot in its body portion to receive a lock- 5 ing-pin, and a pin for locking said sleeve and XVitnesses:

roller, substantially as and for the purpose GEO. W. WHITBEOK,

set forth.

MARY J. WHITBECK. 

